Big Brother
by FemaleChauvinist
Summary: Bella has always longed for an older brother…but it wasn't until one rainy afternoon that she realized she finally had one.


**Disclaimer:** Recognizable characters and plotlines are the property of Stephenie Meyer; all original characters and story © 2017 FemaleChauvinist.

 _Do not post without permission. Do not copy/print without including the above disclaimer in its entirety._

 **A/N: In my version of Twilight, I combined** _ **New Moon**_ **and** _ **Eclipse**_ **into one story called** _ **Lunar Eclipse**_ **(see my profile for more information); this story takes place between that one and** _ **Breaking Dawn**_ **. Also, my Bella is a little more conservative than the original; she doesn't have Edward in her room at night, so he usually sits outside her window, and on dry nights plays the guitar for her. Barbie**

 _Fall 2004_

 **Bella**

I was tired and bored — and it was raining _again_! I wanted a big brother; I wanted a hug!

I knew I was being silly…unreasonable…I didn't even know what had come over me. Couldn't I be content with a fiancé and a father?

But I couldn't be a little girl with Edward…because I knew _he_ didn't think of me that way…and he _did_ get jealous when I sought the comfort of Carlisle's arms.

Of course, if I was counting Carlisle my father and Alice my sister, I supposed I _did_ have brothers. But since they came back, Jasper hadn't done much more than smile and nod at me before slipping out of the room. And I didn't really think Emmett thought of me as a sister; more as an amusing kind of pet. He had thought it was hysterical the other day when I'd crossed the room and had to dodge out of the way of a perfectly stationary doorframe.

Of course, a brother was more likely to be like Emmett than the romanticized protector I dreamed about, but that didn't stop me from dreaming.

Edward was away; out hunting with Alice. And even if he had been here, he wouldn't have had the guitar out on a night like this. Refusing to let myself cry, I mentally sang lullabies to myself until I was calm enough to sleep.

 **oOo**

Things always improved after a night's sleep; I still wanted a big brother and a hug, but I wasn't nearly so desperate.

I had to drive out of town that morning, and as I drove home around noon, it started to pour. In all my time in Forks, I had never seen it rain this hard before; at their top speed the windshield wipers couldn't keep up with it. I slowed to a crawl, gripping the steering wheel, unable to _see_ through the sheets of rain that made me feel as if I was underwater.

I was driving through water as high as the curb, and I whimpered, biting my lip. All the storm warnings I had ever heard said not to drive if water covered the roadway, but there was nowhere else to go. "Alice!" I whimpered, pulling over. Surely she should have "seen" this; if not to warn me, at least to send me help. I was scared to stay in the car, but I didn't dare get out…

I jerked my head up at a knock on the window. "Emmett!" He stood peering in at me, holding an umbrella. He beckoned and stepped back, and I pushed the door open.

"Come on!" he shouted above the pounding rain; he stood up to the ankles in flowing water.

I grabbed my purse and reached an arm up as he lifted me from the car. He had obviously opened the umbrella only for my benefit; his clothes were soaked. But I didn't care, pressing against him as he kicked the door shut and carried me down the road.

As the rain continued to pour down on us, I eyed the fabric of the umbrella dubiously, wondering if they were really meant to withstand downpours like this. But it lasted until Emmett set me down on the Cullens' front porch, closing the umbrella and leaning it against the wall before pushing the door open. "Come on in."

I followed him in, my arms crossed over my chest; his wet clothes probably would have made me chilly even if he _hadn't_ been a cold-skinned vampire.

"Say, Bells, you're kind of wet," he noticed as an involuntary shiver swept over me. "Why don't you see if Esme has anything you can put on?" He grinned a little sheepishly. "I'd offer you Rosie's things, but I'd be locked out of our room for a week."

I smiled. "Esme's closer to my height, anyway." I walked slowly, feeling a little shy as I pushed open the door to Carlisle and Esme's bedroom. I knew no one was home today, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was intruding.

I shed my damp clothes and pulled on a dress and light sweater of Esme's. I knew she wouldn't mind me wearing them, but it still felt odd.

I bundled my damp clothes together and ran down the curving staircase. I found Emmett in the kitchen, already changed out of his soaked things. "Is there a dryer?" I questioned.

He jerked his head to the side. "Through there."

"Thanks." I emptied my pockets on top of the washer and tossed the things into the dryer. "Want to put yours in here, too?"

"Oh, yeah…guess Rosie might not be too happy to find them in the bathtub, huh?"

I laughed. "Probably not." Though it really wasn't the worst place he could have left them…

I figured out the settings of the dryer and turned it on before joining Emmett in the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, leaning my elbows on the table.

He turned and grinned at me over his shoulder. "Gotta feed you, don't I?"

All right, maybe he did think of me as a pet…but as least it was a pet he happened to be fond of.

"Which of this stuff goes together, anyway?" he asked, pulling an armload out of the fridge.

I laughed. "I really can't eat that much…can I make a grilled cheese?"

He shrugged. "Anything you want. Want me to do it for you?"

"No, thanks." Esme could cook, and Edward, but Emmett didn't seem like the type of person I'd trust in the kitchen even if he were human.

He sat at the table, watching as I made and ate my sandwich. "Does that really taste good?" he demanded.

"I like it."

"It smells weird."

I merely shrugged and finished eating.

"So, you wanna watch a movie or something?" he asked as I rinsed my plate off.

"What movie?" I asked cautiously. It didn't seem very likely that Emmett and I would enjoy the same types of movies.

"I dunno." He went to the den, and I trailed behind him.

He opened the cabinet under the TV and began pulling out DVDs and then tossing them aside. "No…not that one…too scary for a human… Hey! Lord of the Rings?" He turned, looking at me with an eager, pleading grin.

My mouth dropped open. "You like Lord of the Rings?" I demanded.

"Yeah! Come on, Bells, please?"

I laughed. "It's one of my three favorite movies; you don't have to ask me twice!" I counted movie series as single movies when naming my three favorites.

"All _right_! Which one?"

"The first one," I decided, curling up on the sofa as he put the DVD in the player.

"You want popcorn or chips or anything?" he asked as he joined me.

"No, thanks."

Emmett dropped onto the couch next to me, his arm resting along the back behind me. It was _almost_ a hug… As the movie continued I eased slowly closer until I was leaning against his side. He glanced down at me, then slipped his arm a little lower so his hand rested on my arm.

I didn't think Edward would be jealous of _Emmett_ ; he had no reason to think I had a crush of any kind on him. Rosalie probably wouldn't be happy when she smelled my scent on him, but I'd let Emmett worry about that.

Tears filled my eyes as I watched Gandalf give his life for the others; knowing he came back didn't make any difference. I hoped Emmett wouldn't tease me for crying over movies…but somehow, I didn't really care if he did. Something had changed; I didn't think he had really been laughing _at_ me even that time I nearly walked into the doorjamb.

"Want the next one?" Emmett asked when the closing credits had ended.

"Mm…I _want_ to see it, but three and a half hours of watching TV already gave me a headache."

"Ya want me to call Carlisle and ask if there's anything in his office you could take?"

"No, thanks; it's not that bad, and I have ibuprofen."

"Okay. So, what'd you wanna do? Play chess? I'd go easy on you."

I shook my head. "I always lose chess…I can't seem to think about more than one move at a time."

"Jazz says I have the same problem. Come on, Bells; it'll be a perfect match!"

"Well, all right," I gave in. Surely one game couldn't hurt…

Emmett sorted out the pieces we needed from the numerous sets he and Jasper had combined, and quickly set it up on the table. "White or black, Bells?"

"White."

"You get first move, then."

Emmett won, of course, but not as quickly as he could have. He chose not to take advantage of it when I moved out of danger from one of his pieces, straight into the path of another, or leaving another of my pieces wide open to attack.

He had just checkmated me when the front door opened and Carlisle came in. He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Bella…and Emmett. I wasn't expecting to find you here."

Emmett grinned. "Alice called me; said Bells was caught out in the flooding, so I ran down to rescue her."

Carlisle's gaze turned concerned as he took a step forward. "Are you all right, Bella?"

"Sure," I said, surprised.

Carlisle nodded and turned back to his son. "Don't you think you should be getting her home, Emmett?"

"Oh, yeah. Gimme your keys, Bells; I'll go see if your car still runs."

I reached for my pocket, then remembered I was wearing Esme's dress and shook my head. "Look on the washing machine, but I think I left them in the ignition." And I had probably locked the door automatically…but I didn't think that would be a problem for a vampire.

"Right. See you in a few minutes!"

"You look nice in that dress, Bella," Carlisle complimented, leaning easily against the stair post.

I looked away, embarrassed; somehow it felt odd for him to compliment me when I was wearing Esme's clothes. "My clothes were a little wet…Emmett said I could wear it."

"Of course," Carlisle assured me. "You're always welcome to any of Esme's things. I'll be upstairs in the study if you need me," he added.

"Okay." As I went to the dryer to get my clothes, I couldn't help wondering. Had Emmett been babysitting me, not wanting to leave until Carlisle got home? It was a little hard to believe he'd really been that interested in playing chess with me…

I had just emerged from the bathroom wearing my own clothes again when Emmett burst through the doors. "Sorry, Bells; I think the water shorted something out. I pushed it into the garage; Edward can take a look at it later. Come on; I'll give you a ride home in the jeep."

The rain had slowed to a light mist, but Emmett had put the vinyl cover over the jeep's framework. I stopped beside the passenger seat, looking at the high step.

"Up you go," Emmett said, grabbing me under the arms and swinging me up into the vehicle.

I caught my breath in surprise at the sudden, unexpected transfer, but Emmett didn't seem to notice as he appeared in the driver's seat beside me.

"So," he commented as if continuing a conversation, "if Lord of the Rings is one of your three favorite movies, what are the other two?"

"Well, the original Star Wars movies."

"Hey, you wanna come over tomorrow and watch them?" he asked eagerly.

I laughed. "Shouldn't we finish Lord of the Rings first?"

"Oh, yeah, guess so. So what's the third one?"

"Huh?" I asked, stalling.

"You said Lord of the Rings was one of three favorite movies; what's the third one?"

"Lord of the Rings and Star Wars are the top two," I hedged.

"Yeah, but you said _three_ favorite, not two, so you musta had another one in mind; what was it?"

I shook my head; no way Emmett and I were going to bond over this one.

"Come on, Bells," he pleaded. "Please?"

I sighed. "Cinderella," I admitted quietly. She had always been my favorite Disney princess.

Emmett guffawed. "You're on your own for that one, sis! I think Esme likes Disney movies, though."

I barely heard his final words. _Sis_. So I _was_ more than just a pet to him. And he must have thought of me like that for some time to say it so unconsciously.

In far less time than it would have taken me, Emmett was pulling into Dad's driveway. He came to my side of the car and held up his arms for me; I put my hands on his shoulders and let him swing me down.

The front light flicked on just as my feet touched the ground, and Dad appeared on the porch. "Bells!" he exclaimed. "Where have you been? With all the flooding around I was getting worried; you should have called me."

"Oh…sorry." I had known Edward knew I was safe with his brother; since he was so much more concerned about my safety than Dad, and more aware of the dangers surrounding me, it hadn't even occurred to me that Dad might be worried. "I guess I lost track of time."

"So, where were you?" Dad demanded, a trifle calmer.

"My car broke down…Emmett found me and towed it back to his house…we watched a movie and played chess for a while."

Dad looked a little warily at Emmett; he was still a little unsure about this largest Cullen. "Thanks," he said grudgingly.

Emmett slung an arm easily around my shoulders. "Hey, just looking out for my little sister." He squeezed my shoulders lightly and spoke too softly for Dad to hear. "You take care, Bells, you hear? Edward would kill me if I let anything happen to you."

I turned and wrapped my arms around him. "Thanks," I whispered. I knew it wasn't just for Edward's sake that he would protect me. I had my big brother, and he was everything I'd dreamed of.

The End

 _I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!_

 _Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Twilight alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie_


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